Insidious community-acquired pneumonia
Pneumonia is the presence of an inflammatory processin the lungs. And the name of the disease "community-acquired pneumonia" suggests that it arises from the impact of the etiologic factor outside the hospital. Pulmonary parenchyma undergoes inflammation, and one lung, its share or a small area can be affected. If both lungs are involved in the process, then the diagnosis will sound - bilateral community-acquired pneumonia.
Causes of the disease
The cause of inflammation can be setvarious microorganisms, fungi, viruses. Among them the most common are strepto-, staphylo- and pneumococci, Klebsiella, influenza and parainfluenza viruses, mycoplasmas and other pathogens. The disease can lead to a weakening of immunity, severe hypothermia, a prolonged and constant exposure to harmful chemicals in the workplace. Community-acquired pneumonia can develop as a complication of inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract (tracheitis, bronchitis, etc.), as well as in the presence of an allergic predisposition of the body.
The pathogenesis of the disease is as follows: the pathogen, penetrating the air or hematogenous pathway into the lung tissue, begins to multiply intensively. This is facilitated by the bronchial secretion and fluid formed as a result of swelling of lobes of the lung. Immunological reaction to the presence of tissue damage plays an important role. With a viral etiology of the disease, pneumonia can be complicated by the attachment of a bacterial infection. It usually joins in seven to ten days from the onset of the viral disease, against the background of sharply weakened immunity and reduced antibacterial activity of the macrophage lung system. Chronic community-acquired pneumonia in adults may be a consequence of an incomplete acute form.
Clinical manifestations of the disease
Croupous pneumonia has a sharp and turbulent beginning. Often the disease is provoked by hypothermia, after which there is a strong chill and a high body temperature reaching 41 ° C. There is a dry cough, in which the patient complains of pain in the chest from the affected side. Then there is purulent, rusty sputum. The patient feels bad, the skin is pale or sometimes cyanotic due to tissue hypoxia. Breathing is frequent and superficial, possibly involving additional muscles. On the lips and other mucous membranes there may be herpetic eruptions. Upon examination, the chest from the affected side lags behind in breathing, auscultatory breathing is weakened. Pulse is frequent, pressure with a tendency to hypotension. In the blood, high leukocytosis and ESR. In the pictures from the affected area you can see a total blackout.
The combination of viral pneumonia with bacterial infection greatly worsens the patient's condition. Dyspnea with respiratory failure and toxic shock may occur.
With bronchitis, infections of the upper respiratorythe focal lesion of the lungs is more often developed. Such community-acquired pneumonia also begins with an increase in temperature, but the general condition is not as severe as with croupous inflammation. There is also a cough, at first dry, then with phlegm.
Viral pneumonia has a special clinic. At the expressed intoxication, temperature, bad state of health, clinic of defeat of respiratory ways objectively is not so expressed, and only at additional inspection the correct statement of the diagnosis is possible.
Complications of the disease can be pleurisy, pneumothorax, the formation of abscesses, inflammatory diseases of organs of other body systems.
How is community acquired pneumonia diagnosed? Treatment of the disease
The diagnosis is based on the characteristiccomplaints, examination data, using laboratory research methods (blood test, sputum analysis with culture and sensitivity to antibacterial drugs), chest X-ray examination, spirography. In difficult cases, a CT scan may be required.
Light forms of pneumonia can be treated in domesticunder the supervision of the therapist. Other forms are treated in the hospital. An obligatory component of therapy is antibiotics. They are applied taking into account the sensitivity of the pathogen. Simultaneously, for the purpose of detoxification, infusion therapy is performed, antihistamines and expectorants, multivitamins are prescribed. Effective is physiotherapy, respiratory gymnastics.
